Clarifier.



O. M. NILSON.

CLARIFIER.

. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 14, 1916. 1 34 302.

Patented. J111y24 1917. 4 2 SHEETS SHEET 1- I @QQQ 0. M. NILSON CLARIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED u:c.14, 1916.

1,234,202. Patented July 24, 1917.

OSCAR M. NILSON, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITED STATES SUGAR COMPANY, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- NECTICUT.

CLARIFIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July ca, 1917.

Application filed December 14, 1916. Serial No. 136,902.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, OSCAR M. NILsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clarifiers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a new and improved clarifier of the type used in the process of making sugar, and has for its object, among other things, to produce a device of this character that will clarify the maximum amount of juice or liquor with the minimum expenditure of heat, and so constructed as to occupy the minimum amount of space, as well as being composed of few parts that are economically constructed and readily assembled.

To these, and other ends, my invention consists in the clarifier, having certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

v:teferring to the drawings, in which like numerals of reference designate like parts in the several figures Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan View of my improved device;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view thereof, taken upon line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar view taken upon line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the deflector plates; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the device showing the damper mechanism.

In the practice of my invention I provide an outer vessel 1, which is provided at its upper end with outwardly flaring flanges 2, the side flanges having channels or grooves 3 therein that are slightly deeper at one end than the other so as to permit liquor therein to flow by gravity toward the discharge runways 4 and 5.

Fastened within the vessel 1, by bolts 6, or other similar means, is an inner vessel 7, so arranged therein as to leave an open space between the sides thereof and the vessel 1, underneath the vessel 2, and upon the top thereof.

The inner vessel is of substantially the same shape in cross section as the vessel 1, but of considerably smaller dimensions so as to permit juice or liquor to entirely surround it, except at the ends, and still be confined within the outer vessel 1.

The vessel 7 is open at its ends, opposite the intake flange 8, and the exhaust or dis charge flange 9, the former of said flanges having a port 10 therethrough and the latter a port 11.

Fixed within the vessel 7 are a plurality of tubes 12 which are open at their upper and lower ends so as to provide ready means for the passage of the fluid there-through.

Connected with the inner vessel, and equally spaced between the ends thereof, are a plurality of deflector plates 13, which are preferably formed in U shape with an upper arm 1%, a lower arm 15, and a connecting arm 16, the outer ends of the arms 1% and 15 having a bevel face 17. These plates are staggered or arranged so that the connecting arms l6'are alternately upon opposite sides of the vessel. 7, as shown in Fig. 1, and are held against lateral movement by the fixed stop pins 18. Other means may be utilized for accomplishing this purpose within the spirit of my invention.

Connected with the vessel 1 at one end thereof and upon different planes, are the overflow pipes 19 and 20, each having a stop cock 21 therein.

My improved clarifier is designed so as to permit the passage therethrough of heat from a boiler on its way to thechimney or smoke stack, thus utilizing an otherwise waste product.

I have shown the invention as being constructed for this purpose, but if desired gas or other heating methods may be substituted, but I prefer for purposes of economy to utilize the heat units from the boiler that pass to the smoke stack and would otherwise be wasted, such heat units entering the vessel 7 through the intake port 10, surrounding the tubes 12 and passing out through the exhaust port 11, heating said vessel, the tubes, and the fluid or liquor.

In operation, the liquor or juice is admitted into the vessel 1 and fills the space around the vessel 7 and the tubes 12. The heat units cause this liquor to boil and the impurities that form as a scum upon the top thereof are manually drawn into the grooves -or gutters 3 and pass therefrom over the runways 4: and 5 and a portion of the water I inthe liquor passes off as steam, so that the residue is continually thickening until it has been reduced to the proper consistency, after which it is drawnofl through either one of the overflow pipes 19 or 20.

After the liquor first inserted, as above de scribed, has been clarified, additional liquor the clarifier to the other travels in parallel lines between each of the deflector plates, this path being indicated by arrows, thus subjecting the liquor to the influence of the heat units during a travel substantially five times the length of'the vessel 7, the relative proportion of this length of travel being dependent upon the number of deflector plates, which, of course, may be varied as desired.

' During the heating process the liquor passes upwardly from the bottom of the vessel 1 through the tubes 12and flows downwardly upon the sides thereof, thus insuring a continuous, uniform movement of the liquor in an upward and'downward path, as well as in a tortuous vertical path, and at the same time providing means whereby the mass of liquor may be so broken up as to subject the maximum quantity thereof directly to the influence of the heat units. This method is distinguished from that common in clarifiers heretofore constructed, wherein the heating coils have been either around the edges or at the bottom of the clarifier, liquor therebetween does not directly feel the effect ofthe heat units therein.

A pipe 23, having a cook 24: therein, is pro vided asmeans for draining the'vessel 1 when desired. y

The upper arm 14: of the deflector plates may be hinged upon a point 25 so as to permit the vessel 7, to be lifted out of the vessel 1 without moving the relative position of said plates, an arm so hinged being. shown by broken lines in Fig. 4:. IA; chamber 26,

formed upon the underside of thevessel 1, is.

connected at its opposite ends to the flanges .S and 9, and is separated therefrom by a damper 27 that swings upon the hinge pins 28, to either close the chamber 26 or the opening through the vessel 7, thus providing means to permit the heating element to pass from the flange 8 into the flange 9 without passing through the inner vessel 7.

In many ways the details, of my invention may be very materially changed, and therethroughsaid inner vessel.

so that the whole mass, or bulkof .ner vessel with the openings located oppofore Iido not limit myself to theeXact con- 7 struction herein shown and described, but claimall that falls fairly within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having described my nvention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character described, an outer vessel adapted to contain a fluid, an inner vessel or heatingchamber suspended within the outer vessel, inlet and outlet flues communicating with said inner vessel, and means for directing thefluid contents of the outer vessel around and through said inner vessel in a circuitous and tortuous path, such means comprising a series of baflie plates surrounding the inner vessel and a series of tubes defining passages 2 In a device of the character described, an outer vessel or container for fluid, an inner vessel or heating chamber suspended within the outer vessel, a series of vertical tubes passing through said inner vessel providmg defined passages for circulation of the fluid contained in the outer vessel, and a series of staggeredbaflie plates surrounding the inner vessel providing a tortuous path for the flow of the fluid contained in the outer vessel.

3. In a device of the character described, an outer vessel, an inner vessel removably suspended within thexouter vessel, a series of baflie plates alternately and partly-surroundingthe inner vessel so as to provide a tortuous passage, and means for displacing one member of eachbaffle plate so as to permit removal of the inner vessel without disturbing the baifle plates.

4-. In a device of the character described,

' anouter vessel having gutters and cooks for the scum and fluid contents thereof, aremovableinner vessel constituting a flue suspended within the outer. vessel, a series of verti 105 cal tubes open at both ends passing through said inner vessel, and a series of battle plates partly surrounding the inner vessel. and stag gered relatively to each other. e

5. In a device of the character described,

an outer vessel, an inner vessel removably suspended within theouter v'essel, a series of U-shaped bafli'e plates held in the interior of the outer vessel, partly surrounding the insitely so that atortuous'passage is formed around the inner vessel and one leg of each bafile plate being displaceable to permit removal and replacement of the inner vessel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto af- 120 fixed my signature. 'OSGARM.NILSON.

Copies of this patent. may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents. Washington, D. 0. 

